The Meaning Of Christmas
by LillithxLuna
Summary: AU. Sixteen year-old Claire has one argument too many with her mother and ends up kicked out of her house on Christmas Eve. Luckily, her friend Charlie comes to her rescue. Thinking about all the Christmas she's ever had, Claire ponders: what is the meaning of Christmas?


_**A/N:** _So, I've decided to write a little Christmas themed one-shot. It's my favorite holiday, and this idea's been in my head for a year now. It's a random high school AU where they all know each other, and it's PB&J because they're my OTP :D Oh, and the Sinatra song mentioned is Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas, one of my favorites. Hope you like it!

_**DISCLAIMER:** _I don't own anything!

* * *

Claire walked into the diner and slowly made her way to an empty booth. She sat down and buried her head on her hands. She never thought this could ever happen.

She and her mother moved to the US about five months ago. Carole decided to move when her daughter's pressure about her father became too much for her to handle. She tried to keep it a secret for as long as she could, but somehow Claire overheard a conversation between her and Lindsay about him. Being the stubborn girl she is, Carole couldn't do anything but to cave in.

She didn't tell her daughter everything. She didn't even tell her his full name. She was hoping Claire would just give up this madness. But it's already been five months.

That was the reason why they had a huge fight.

Claire had already adjusted to her new life, but she still wanted answers. She decided to press her mother about the subject. After all, their moving would've been in vain if Claire didn't get what she wanted.

Claire had argued with her mother before, but never like this. It seemed that even the slightest mention of her father made Carole unreasonably angry. She was tired of her daughter's stubborn and childish behavior. She claimed she'd done everything she could - she even moved to another country to make Claire happy - and Claire was being as ungrateful as always.

That last fight pushed Carole over the edge. Enough to kick her own daughter out of the house.

"_Go after your father," _she told her daughter "_see if he cares about you like I do!"_

Claire tried to reply that if she really cared she wouldn't be forcing her to leave. Carole didn't even have words to answer to that. She did her best to raise her daughter on her own. She proved to the world that she could do it. She certainly didn't expect her to be so _selfish _about it. Carole wrote down an address and gave it to her daughter. It was her father's.

So, Claire had no other choice but to leave.

But she didn't try to find her father. How could she just show up at his doorstep like this? Sure, people always get nicer around the holidays, but to randomly appear to him, claiming to be his daughter was just trying too hard. She didn't have the guts. Plus, he had another family. He was probably enjoying his Christmas with them.

And Claire was here. Completely alone in a diner downtown. She secretly hoped to run into someone here, since this was her friends' hangout. But who was she kidding? It was already seven p.m.; everyone was probably home with their families. Especially since it was snowing outside.

"Claire? Can I get you anything, dear?" It was Diane, the waitress. She was Kate's mother. When Claire moved, she and Kate instantly became friends.

"No, no... Thanks, Mrs. Austen."

"Are you sure?" she asked, noticing how the girl looked sad.

"Yeah, absolutely." Claire faked a smile and Diane left.

Claire sighed. It's been an hour since she left her house, and she was considerably far from it now. She hoped her mom would have changed her mind by now. She wanted to go back, but since Carole hadn't called, she thought she'd only be thrown out again.

It sure didn't help that it was Christmas Eve.

* * *

Charlie could barely hear the phone ringing over the voices of his relatives "'ello?"

"Charlie, it's Kate."

"Oh, merry Christmas, Kate!" he said excitedly. Christmas has always been his favorite holiday. It was one of those few times his family was together. They were a small family now, but it mattered a lot to them to spend the holidays close to each other.

"Merry Christmas... listen, I need you to do me a favor," Kate said worried.

"What is it?"

"My mom just called... she's working today and... Claire's there."

"What do you mean?" he started to sound as worried as the brunette.

"She's all alone and my mom said she looked really upset... I'd go there and pick her up myself, but..."

"I'll do it. She's at your mom's diner, right?"

"Yes."

"I'm on my way."

"Thanks, Charlie."

"No, thank you," he replied and hung up the phone. He practically ran to heat up his car.

Kate was for once glad that Charlie had a crush on Claire since she moved here. It was annoying most of the times, but at least she knew he'd always try to help Claire at all costs. As Kate mentioned, she would have been glad to help out her friend, but she was far from home. And nothing would spoil her first Christmas with Sam in five years.

* * *

Claire checked her cell phone again. No missed calls. She sighed. She thought her mother would have gotten over her anger by now. Wasn't she worried at all? Carole always nagged when Claire wanted to go out with her friends, but now that she has no idea where her daughter is; or if she's safe; not a single phone call. Guess Carole was trying to prove something. What exactly, Claire suspected that even her mother didn't know.

Diane walked back to Claire's booth with a large cup of hot chocolate. Before she could even protest, Diane said "It's on the house, dear."

Claire checked her cell phone yet again. Still no calls. Her hot chocolate was half empty by now. The radio in the diner began playing a Frank Sinatra song. Claire hated that song. It was one of those songs that had happy lyrics sung over a borderline melancholic rhythm. And like _all _the other songs that week, it was a Christmas song.

Claire looked around to see if there was still anyone at the diner. There was a couple, cuddled together in a booth, happily sharing a piece of chocolate pie. On the other side there was a family – father, mother and three children – eating cheeseburgers. That sight hurt Claire the most. They were smiling and laughing, enjoying the little of Christmas joy they had... and she had nothing.

Sinatra's voice echoed through the place and Claire finally started to cry. She'd been holding it back all day. They say it feels good to cry your feelings out, but Claire was just sinking lower and lower. She was crying so much, she didn't even notice when someone took a seat across from her in the booth.

"Claire?" She looked up and saw Charlie staring back at her.

"Charlie... hey, what are you doing here?" She asked, furiously wiping her tears, an effort to appear okay.

"That's not important right now. What happened?" He asked, concerned.

She bit her lip "It's nothing."

"Claire... you can tell me anything. We're friends, remember?"

"I-I know... it's just..." She felt the tears coming back. Charlie looked at her, waiting for her answer "My mom kicked me out," she said with a sigh.

"What? Why?"

"We just had a big fight." Claire noticed that he was expecting more, so she continued "It was about my father, my mum didn't want to tell me who he was, so we started arguing about it... and then she told me where he lived and she opened the door and told me to go after him but I couldn't, I mean, I can't just –" Claire's words got caught in a big sob and soon the tears were falling freely down her cheeks. Charlie promptly switched sides and put his arms around her shoulder. Claire clung to him and he sucked in a breath in response.

He'd wanted to ask Claire out ever since she transferred, but he just didn't have the guts. He always tried to be there for her every chance he had, in hopes that someday a window of opportunity would open and he could tell her how he felt. And right now - with her desperately crying on his shoulder, holding him so close to her – the window is sealed shut. Charlie didn't want to her to think he's trying to take advantage of her.

But before anything else, Claire was his friend, and she needed help. "Listen, if you want, you can come to my place."

She lifted her head "What? No... it's not necessary."

"Claire..."

"No, really! I'm already feeling better, see?" she said wiping her tears.

"But you still need a place to stay, right?"

She sighed "I just don't want to be a burden..."

Charlie held her tighter and looked at her in the eye "You're not a burden, Claire." His stare was so intense that Claire had to look away. "Look, my folks will be okay with it. I'm sure they'd love the company. Mum always cooks more food than we can handle anyways."

Claire smiled, the first she hadn't faked that evening "You sure they wouldn't mind?"

"Absolutely," he replied grinning. She looked up at him again, unshed tears pooling in her eyes, making them appear brighter.

_As beautiful as ever, _Charlie thought "Come on, Claire." He pulled away from her and got up, putting out his hand for her to take. Claire took it and they headed out the diner. Neither of them thought of letting go before reaching the car.

From behind the counter, Diane watched the teens leaving hand in hand. She smiled, trying to remember the last time she saw such a pure and innocent love.

* * *

Charlie had barely parked in his garage and he could already hear his family singing Christmas carols.

"What's that?" Claire asked, curious about the melody playing.

"I believe it's _Jingle Bells_..." he turned to see Claire's confused look "My brother is probably playing the piano. My parents like to hear us play during the holidays... we're a small family, so I guess we use music to fill up the empty space," he explained with a sad smile. It may have been years since they moved from England, but Charlie missed his large amount of annoying relatives making his house hell during Christmas. It was a hard change going from fifteen people to only five. At least he still had music to cheer him up.

Claire noticed his expression "You seem to really like their company." He just nodded, getting out of the car. Before she could reach for the handle, Charlie ran to her side and opened the door for her "Come on, dinner should be ready soon."

When they walked in, Claire felt like she'd been transported into a Coca-Cola commercial. Charlie's living room was entirely decorated, full of presents underneath the tree and candy canes inside the socks that were hanging above the fireplace. She guessed they'd leave the cookies and milk later, even if no one here was young enough to still believe in Santa.

On the opposite side of the fireplace there was a piano and, just as Charlie guessed, his brother was playing a medley of popular Christmas songs, while the rest of the family was singing along. Somehow, Claire was mildly surprised to see that they weren't wearing those hideous Christmas-themed sweaters.

"Hey, guys I'm back!" As soon as Charlie called them out, Liam stopped playing. "Mum, dad, this is Claire, the friend I was telling you about. Claire, this is my mum Megan, my dad Simon, my brother Liam and his wife Karen." Claire went around, saying hi to everyone.

"So, you're the famous Claire! Charlie's been talking about you for so long, I feel like I already know you!" Megan said with a smile on her face. The last time Charlie saw his mom smiling like that was when Liam first brought Karen home. That thought made him cringe with anticipated embarrassment.

"Has he?" Claire asked, feeling suddenly very shy.

"Don't worry, luv. He only spoke good about you," Simon piped in, giving his younger son a pat on the back.

"Dad!" Charlie hissed embarrassed, while Liam laughed with mirth, enjoying seeing his little brother wishing a hole would magically swallow him. Claire was feeling incredibly self-conscious too, and that added a lot to the older brother's fun.

"Maybe we should go have dinner now," Karen said, "The little one is getting hungry!" She patted her huge pregnant belly joyfully.

"Sure! Dinner would be a brilliant idea now. Liam, could you help me with the turkey, please?" Megan told her son, who got up from the piano stool and followed his mother to the kitchen. Simon excused himself and helped arranging the table.

"You're welcome," Karen told Charlie before she went to help as well.

Charlie finally felt the blood leaving his cheeks "Look, I'm sorry about this, but... you know, they're _parents._"

Claire laughed "I know... but it wasn't that bad, I mean, at least they don't think we're dating... right?"

"No, no! They wouldn't think that, I mean, they have no reason to," he replied, starting to get nervous again.

"Charlie, calm down, I was just joking."

He stared at her for a moment before laughing "Right."

* * *

Claire was amazed to see how close the Pace family was. She'd never had a Christmas dinner so merry before. Her idea of Christmas was either having a mostly silent meal with her mother or an uncomfortable evening at her grandparent's house. Uncomfortable mainly because of Claire herself, since her grandmother thought she was a mistake and barely acknowledged her.

But this year, her idea changed. She always watched those silly little Christmas movies when she was young and she always thought they were not true. Santa Claus wasn't real, why would a thing called _Christmas magic _be?

She was wrong.

She watched them trading random gossip about other relatives and some family friends, while making jokes – sometimes not very nice ones – and eating _a lot_ of food (Something that also amazed Claire, they were only six people, but the turkey was barely enough). Her Coca-Cola comparison seemed more and more tangible by the hour.

After they ate, it was Charlie's turn to play the piano. As he played his medley, everyone else was seated around the fireplace, singing along. Somehow, they got Claire to sing along too, despite her initial reluctance.

In the end, she enjoyed being a part of it.

Soon enough, everyone was starting to get tired. Liam and Karen went home, since she was practically sleepwalking already. Simon also went to bed, claiming that turkey made him sleepy. Megan was finishing washing the dishes, and Claire guessed that she, too, would go to sleep soon.

For a moment she decided to stand on the front porch, watching the snow falling down. It was freezing cold, but she didn't care. This whole experience in the Pace household was great, for the first time Claire was able to actually enjoy the holidays. But it also made her feel awful about the way she left things with her mother. If Christmas was all about family, what was she doing here and not home with Carole? She remembered the family in the diner, and Charlie's family... they were quite small ones, but they managed to stick together. Despite knowing where her father is, the only family Claire has is her mother, and Carole only has her daughter. Guilty was hanging heavy on Claire's heart now.

"Hey Claire" Charlie suddenly appeared, making Claire jump a little "Oh, sorry. I didn't mean to scare you."

"No, it's okay. I was just lost in my thoughts."

"Thoughts about what?"

"My mum," Claire replied sadly "Tonight was wonderful, Charlie, really. Your family is lovely and you guys were so nice to let me eat with you, but..." she sighed, trying to think how to say it.

"But you want to go home, right?" Charlie guessed.

"She's my only family, Charlie. Whether I like it or not, and I abandoned her! I mean, she made me leave, but... I know her, she wouldn't leave me out in the cold if I asked to get back in!" Claire could feel her eyes watering _again. _She hated crying, and she felt like she'd cried enough today already, so she was trying to hold it in.

Charlie noticed it, and pulled her in for a hug "I can take you home, if you want."

"Would you really do that for me?"

"Sure, why wouldn't I? It could be my Christmas gift to you."

Claire knew that she was losing the battle against her tears "But what am I going to tell her, after I ruined her Christmas?"

"You still have time to fix it, it's not even eleven o'clock yet."

She smiled and pulled away from him. Inadvertently, Charlie looked up and started to laugh nervously. Claire wiped the tears that had fallen and looked at him, confused "What?"

"It's nothing, I mean, it's _really _nothing..." he continued laughing.

She was starting to get worried "Is something wrong?"

"No, no, I mean... it's just a silly tradition anyways. I bet it was Liam who put it there..." Charlie was just rambling now, and he wasn't making any sense to Claire.

"Charlie!" He stopped talking and looked at her "What are you talking about?" He awkwardly pointed up.

Above them was a mistletoe.

Claire finally understood his confusion. She thought it was cute, seeing him acting all chivalrously around her, and actually asking her instead of just going for it. At least she _thought _he was asking her. A part of her just wanted him to go for it, but it wouldn't be Charlie if he did that. And that was what she liked the most about him.

Truth is Claire had had a sort of crush on Charlie ever since they met. She sometimes thought he liked her too, but he never made a move on her, so she decided to forget any feelings she had and move on with her life. But right at this moment, those feelings were coming back.

Or maybe they never went away, she wasn't sure.

"Look, we don't have to... you know, if you don't want to, I mean –" Charlie was silenced by Claire's lips. She caught him by surprise, so he was paralyzed for a few good seconds. Soon enough, he was kissing her back. It was just as sweet and perfect as he'd imagined it to be.

Claire was the first to pull away "Thank you for today, Charlie."

He blushed and avoided her eyes "It was nothing, Claire."

"Maybe. But it meant a lot to me," she told him, smiling "Merry Christmas, Charlie."

He looked up and smiled back "Merry Christmas, Claire." He leaned in and kissed her once again "Come on, let's take you home."

On her way back Claire replayed the whole day in her head, from the moment her mother told her to leave, to kissing Charlie on the front porch. It had a really bad start, but it turned out to be an okay day. All she needed to do to make it better was to tell her mother she's sorry. She didn't know how Carole would react to her daughter's "adventures" – if she'd be glad that Claire was okay or if she'd be angry that Claire was out all night, apparently having fun – but Claire was sure to tell her mother the greatest thing she'd learned today: the true meaning of Christmas.

* * *

_**A/N: Merry Christmas/Happy Holidays! :D**_


End file.
